PET owners using macabre homeopathic cures made from the diseased flesh of dead animals are risking the lives of beloved cats and dogs, the RSPCA has warned.

Wonder cures promising to provide immunity from many fatal conditions have been adopted by many loving pet owners who have been misled by the products’ adverts online.

And as a rising number of owners choose to switch from conventional vaccination to “homeopathic nosodes”, the RSPCA revealed that these products, made from the diseased flesh of dead animals, put pets at risk of “horrific suffering”.

RSPCA veterinary director Caroline Allen said: “We are very concerned to see unlicensed, potentially dangerous and ineffective treatments being sold online and would urge people to report these products to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

“While there does seem to be an increasing amount of “anti-vax” material online, this is not supported by a genuine evidence base.”

Online shopping giant Amazon announced this week it will remove advertisement related to these anti-vaccination materials to curb the sales of the harmful treatments.

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We are very concerned to see unlicensed, potentially dangerous and ineffective treatments being sold online and would urge people to report these products to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate

RSPCA veterinary director Caroline Allen

The products included preparations with highly medical and scientific names. One is described as a "homeopathic nosode" able to provide "immunity" to litters of pups if the tablets are fed to their pregnant mother.

Opting for homeopathic remedies in favour of vaccines can be the cause of fatal viral diseases including parvovirus and herpes virus, the RSPCA said.

The former kills nine in 10 dogs who contract it, the latter can prompt a pregnant dog to abort her puppies or kill an entire litter of young puppies to die over 24 hours.

The British Veterinary Association said that skipping vaccinations can also be the cause of zoonotic diseases, such as canine leptospirosis, which can be infectious to humans.

Danny Chambers, a council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said: “This is truly frightening.

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The RSPCA warned that anti-vax remedies could put pets at risk of avoidable death

“Safe and effective vaccines exist for these diseases.

“Using unregulated and scientifically implausible remedies bought from Amazon will leave your pet with no protection and at a high risk of contracting them.”

The RSPCA warning follows founding showing that the number of unvaccinated dogs and cats doubled between 2016 and 2017.

A research conducted by charity PDSA revealed that 25 per cent of dogs had not undergone a primary vaccination course in 2017, compared to 12 per cent in 2016.

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Skipping your pet vaccinations can also be the cause of zoonotic diseases, infectious to humans

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Opting for homeopathic remedies in favour of vaccines can be the cause of viral diseases in animals

And a whopping 35 per cent of cats wasn’t vaccinated on the same year, up from 18 per cent in 2016.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate, a Government agency, branded as illegal the sale of products making false medicinal claims.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which oversees the VMD, said: “It is illegal to sell products making false medicinal claims and we work closely with companies such as Amazon to stop this.